Merry and Bright

Crafty Hazelnut's challenge to us this week was "Merry and bright." I knew right away I wanted to use this tiny strand of faux lights that I have had for eons.  It also fit into the Sketch Saturday layout I was using, subbing in for that half-oval.
The image is a Pure Innocence digi colored with pencils.  The ornaments are decorated with gold Stickles and a Spica pen, and in real life they have a nice glitter to them.  The sentiment (Stampin Up) is embossed with a white glittery EP (the color is Winter Wonderland).

I'm entering these challenges
June Days Rudolph Challenge -- Christmas
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas challenge -- Merry and Bright
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Extra challenge-- anything Christmas
Sketch Saturday #366 -- sketch
Creative Inspiration Challenge -- use your favorite crafting item (after all these years, I still love heat embossing)
Word Art Wednesday #189 -- anything goes

Doily Dress

A couple of weeks ago, Di (who blogs at Pixie's Crafty Workshop) posted a card using this technique and a link to the tutorial. I made one almost immediately, then set it aside until I figured out how to use it. Here it is.
I especially like how much dimension there is in the skirt. (I just cut the bodice by hand since I don't have the suggested punch).
I followed the layout from the Catch the Bug sketch challenge and used a bunch of snippets (including three coordinating lilacs from a mat stack) to create the card. That dress is so cute I didn't feel like it needed a lot of embellishments, but a little ribbon and pearls never hurt anything.

This card is for these challenges:
The Ribbon Girl -- colour challenge; lilac
Catch the Bug -- sketch 310
Catch the Bug -- BINGO (lace, ribbon, pearls)
CRAFT -- wedding
Papertake Weekly -- Oh so pretty
Pixie's Snippet Playground #181/182 -- use snippets

Word Art Wednesday #188 -- anything goes

Little Deuce Coupe, Done in paste

I'm way behind the trends, as usual. This is my first attempt to use paste. I used a checker board stencil and black modeling paste to create the design on the mustard-colored layer. It does add an interesting texture and seems like a good element on a masculine card.

The image is a digi from Pattie's Creations, colored in pencils. It's popped up on a slightly larger piece of white card stock. There are ribbon tabs on each side and the puzzle-piece embellie says Blast (as in Have a blast, or blast off; either seem appropriate for this).

The sketch is the current sketch at Sketch Saturday, only I stretched it out to make it horizontal instead of vertical.

This card is for these challenges:
Catch the Bug -- Travel
Crafting for all Seasons #104 -- it's a boy thing
The Ribbon Girl -- Masculine
Creative Inspirations #318 -- Masculine
The Paper Shelter #208 -- Make it Digital
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge -- Paste it
Moving Along with the Times -- inspired by a song (Little Deuce Coupe by the Beach Boys)
CHCN patterned Paper Challenge -- use patterned paper
Word Art Wednesday #188 -- anything goes
Sketch Saturday #365 
Pattie's Creations #111-- Father's Day

Snow in June

Don't we wish?  Actually, we're having a heatwave. Currently, the weather forecast is "high in the mid-90s until Halloween" or words to that effect.
So, why not make a snow scene to create at least a mental sense of cool?  This cute little snow guy is upcycled from an old card I received.  He's matted on a dark green snippet, with the sentiment in dark green as well. The layout is from the weekly sketch challenge at SCS -- I suddenly find myself really drawn to strong diagonals like this.

I'm entering these challenges:
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge #233 -- snow in June
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Extra - anything Christmas
CRAFT Challenge #315 -- Christmas
Word Art Wednesday #187 -- anything goes
Pixie's snippet Playground #181-2 -- use up those snippets

Butterfly shaker card

I tried another shaker card for Butterfly Challenge #32, which requires us to use sequins.  The butterfly opening does not really allow the sequins to shake very much, but there is some movement. (It's only the third shaker card I've made, so I'm still learning.)
I recently found the "hi" die in a stack of second-hand dies I had purchased and never used. It seemed the perfect size to fill what was a lot of empty space there. (And word dies are so trendy now; this one is an old Sizzix from before words were cool, I think.)

This card is for these challenges:
Butterfly Challenge #32 -- butterfly and sequins
Inky Impressions #213-- something in the air
Craftyhazelnut's Patterned paper challenge -- use patterned paper (to cover card base)
Word Art Wednesday #187 -- anything goes

Burger Boy

Here's another masculine card, inspired (thematically) by the cookie/photo challenge at If You Give a Crafter a Cookie. I was thinking of an Independence Day cookout.
I made the background by white-embossing a large background stamp, then masking off diagonal  stripes of different sizes and sponging them in red or blue.
The image is from Bugaboo, colored with pencils.
That ribbon is just about perfect for a masculine cards --narrow and all business; no frills about it at all, A snip of it is wrapped around a star-shaped brad.

This card is for these challenges:
Cookie Challenge #20 (picnic cookies)
Crafty Sentiments -- For a man/boy
Crafting for all Seasons #104-- it's a boy thing
Addicted to Stamps -- holiday
Word At Wednesday #187 -- Anything Gpes
Catch the Bug -- Anything Goes

Shaker in the snow

I've been trying out shaker cards, and I made this Christmas version.
For the shaker area, I started by diecutting a snowflake. I took the negative leftover, cut it in a circle, and that is the bottom of the shaker area.  I used a circle of fun foam to create the "box."  It has blue and silver sequins in it, covered by a circle of acetate framed with a navy scalloped circle. (You know that saying about mistakes being an excuse to embellish? Yeah, I had a glue problem so I added the snowflake brad.)
The snowflake-printed strip is actually a sample of wrapping paper (stashed away since some long-ago PTA wrapping paper drive), and the silver paper behind it is recycled from some envelope. So, it's a blue card and a "green" card.

Entering these challenges:

Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge #232 -- use blue
 Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra for June -- anything Christmas
Holly Jolly Christmas -- Frame It
Clear it Out -- blue with blue embellies (sequins).

Old West Scene

With Father's Day coming up, there is a lot of demand for masculine cards.  I had this image (No idea of the source, someone sent it to me in an RAK) that screams "masculine" so now seemed a good time to use it. With such a large image, there wasn't much to do.  I ran the edges along an ink pad (Colorbox Chalk Dark Moss) because there really wasn't room to mat the image. The mustard colored paper is torn along the edge, and I used up five  eyelets to add a masculine embellishment. (That means I only have about 493 eyelets left).

I'm entering these challenges:
Inky Impressions #212 -- For a Man
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge -- masculine
Clear it Out Blog -- Anything Goes
Word Art Wednesday #186 -- Anything Goes

Vintage girl

I won some images from Sweet Pea stamps, and I fell in love with this image from Conie Fong.  The girl seemed perfect for a vintage style card. 
The girl is colored with pencils, with Distress ink around the edges of the circle.  The doily under that isn't distressed; it's really old. I found it when cleaning out my parents' condo.  They had loads of stuff from who knows when, including a couple old paper doilies that had turned yellow with age.
The layout is the current Sweet Sketch Wednesday.  For the background panel, I stamped script in Antique Linen ink.
The little "bow" is a snip of crocheted lace tied with ribbon.

I'm entering these challenges:
Addicted to Stamps #147 -- Make your mark
Creative Inspirations #316-- for a friend
Sweet Sketch Wednesday -- sketch #56
Catch the Bug Challenge -- recipe B (image/ribbon/flowers) (flowers in image on on dp)
Word Art Wednesday #186 -- anything goes
Clear it Out -- anything goes
Loves Rubberstamps -- anything goes
Papertake Weekly -- anything goes
Sister Act #109 -- anything goes